Journal

Skin problems,
eczema, and psoriasis tips to accompany "Problem Skin" Salve on products page. If you are an herbalist with additional input, I'd love to hear from you.

This information is intended for educational
purposes only. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not
intended to diagnose, cure, treat, prescribe or prevent disease. Results may
vary, and it is always advisable to consult with your own health care
provider.

Eczema
can be confused with contact dermatitis.
Contact dermatitis can be caused by contact with industrial solvents,
dyes, nickel and other metals, leather tanning chemicals, some soaps, fabric
softener, wood, ragweed and a number of other things. Though eczema is caused by an internal
problem, these contact dermatitis irritants can irritate those with eczema or
psoriasis as well.

“Eczema is the
final result of a complex series of internal reactions to exposure to such
allergens and irritants. It often accompanies other allergic diseases such as
hay fever and asthma, but may also occur alone.” - David L. Hoffmann BSc (Hons), MNIMH

“Treating
the symptoms of eczema is much more complex than the use of short-term
solutions, such as steroid creams or medications, phototherapy, and
moisturizing lotions. Diet is one of the
first places to start; the skin is a reflection of our inner health and
sometimes specifically the liver or immune system. Don’t just buy a topical remedy to help the
symptoms, please focus on diet and use teas as well. “

To emphasize the importance of diet and skin…
“Researchers are finding large amounts of transglutaminase, (aka meat glue), in
diseased tissues (ed. such as eczema) within the body. Transglutaminase must be noted as an
ingredient on a food label. It can be listed in many forms including:
transglutaminase, TG enzyme, enzyme or TGP enzyme. If a product uses meat glue
the label should also read formed or reformed such as formed beef tenderloin.”

Some foods that will help the liver and therefore
the skin are: burdock root or gobo, carrots,
sweet potatoes, salmon, watercress (which you can easily find growing in
creeks), dark leafy greens and
apples. If you would like tips on how
to dig burdock root, please email me. It
can be a little challenging.

When cooking, be generous in your use of rosemary
and turmeric. I even put turmeric powder
in my water, it’s a very mellow spice that goes well with seafood, potatoes,
corn and lentils.

A traditional tea for skin problems is made of
burdock seeds. Grind around 40 seeds and
steep in a cup of boiling water until cool enough to drink. Take by the half cupful up to six times a
day. “Oolong tea can also soothe
stubborn eczema. Researchers from the Shiga University School of Medical
Science in Japan discovered this when patients undergoing treatment for their
eczema began drinking oolong tea three times a day. Their skin health improved
in as little as one week. After a month, 65 percent of the 118 participants
showed significant improvement.” – Mother Earth Living

You can make
a strong infusion of cleavers or dandelion leaves to help as well. Some have found tremendous relief eating half
a cupful of cooked stinging nettle daily or drinking 2 cups of nettle infusion
a day for 6 – 10 weeks. An infusion is
made when water just off of boil is poured over about a handful of plant
material per quart of water, quickly capped and left for 4 hours or
overnight.

Because we are exposed to so many ingredients and
chemicals in our life, it can be hard to know what the triggers are for an
allergic or hyper-immune reaction, like eczema or psoriasis. Check into an
elimination diet to see if anything you are eating could be a trigger. When I was a child my Mom found that I was
allergic to chicken by doing an elimination diet, so even uncommon things can
be triggers. Also consider switching laundry detergents to
one that is all natural like Charlie’s and getting rid of fabric softener. We use a splash of white vinegar in the rinse
for fabric softener and it works well.

Adding probiotics to your diet is another great
place to start. They can be found in the
cooler section of many health food stores, but if that is not an affordable
route, consider real fermented sauerkraut or Kim Chee with most meals. Some health food stores have the real fermented
products (must be from the cooler section and say raw or unpasteurized), but
making at home is very easy, all you need is a crock, some salt and
time. They are age old superfoods and
loaded with good bacteria for the gut, therefore assist with skin conditions. “Like yogurt, the fermentation process makes
cabbage healthier and more digestible than the plant in its original form. In
addition to creating a naturally occurring probiotic supplement, fermentation
adds other nutritional benefits as well. Another 'bonus' of eating sauerkraut is that it is
higher in B vitamins than cabbage, particularly in vitamin B12.” - www.naturalnews.com
. Some have found relief using a
kids chewable probiotics from Bellyboost though I would hope everyone would
focus on the food sources first.

The term healthy fats is an oxymoron
to many people. We’ve been taught that
fat is bad and many people use margarine or eat fake cheese. Real fat is tremendously healthy to the skin,
brain, hormone production, hair and nails, and helps us absorb and store fat soluble
vitamins like D; whereas “fake fats” are at the root of numerous health
problems including obesity and skin problems.
Healthy
fats are those rich in either monounsaturated or omega-3 fatty acids. Dr. Weil
suggests extra virgin olive oil, expeller-pressed organic canola oil, nuts
(especially walnuts), avocados and freshly ground flaxseeds at 5-7 servings per day. If you have to have butter, use real butter not
margarine (though organic butter from free range animals would be the best
choice because chemicals like pesticides and growth hormones the cow ingests
are concentrated in the butter and these could be triggers). I’d highly suggest removing all fake and bad fats from
the diet immediately. Heated
hydrogenated fats (bad fats) are used in deep fried foods like fried chicken,
fish, and chips, and have been associated with cancer and heart disease.

Some believe that avoiding foods that
cause an inflammatory response is the best route in eczema. Please note that most of the advice on fats
and meat apply to factory farmed, not grass fed or free range animals. There is a huge difference. “Foods to avoid: animal fats including dairy fats(full fat milk and
cheese), egg yolks(contain arachidonic acid), organ meats, processed meats, hydrogenated
and partially hydrogenated fats. Inflammatory
foods to limit: red meat, fruit juices (eat the fruit!),
vegetable oils (other than olive oil),
cereals and grains, other high glycemic index foods”
- From
www.reducing-inflammation.com/inflammatory_foods.html

Ingest lots of omega-3 fats. Steer clear of trans-fats
and foods that contain gluten. “You can try eating fewer foods that may be tied to
inflammation, which include meat, cheese, and anything containing saturated or
trans-fat. And you can increase your intake of omega-3s while navigating around
your allergies. Flaxseed and flaxseed oil are concentrated sources of omega-3,
although they're not quite the same type—nor as potent—as those found in fish.
Add one tablespoon of the oil or the freshly ground seeds to your food daily.
An allergy to seafood may not rule out a fish oil supplement; check with your
doctor.” - David L. Katz, MD

Dr. Weil has an
anti-inflammatory food pyramid on this link that shows which foods to eat more
or less of: http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/pyramid/press-foodpyramid.html though I would not encourage the use of
unfermented soy such as soymilk or tofu except with moderation. To ingest soy products, I suggest using
fermented soy like miso (a soup paste), tamari (instead of soy sauce) or tempeh
(a meat substitute).

“In our factory farmed food universe today, where
animals aren’t grass-fed and free-range, but are fed on cheaply grown grains
and other unnatural feed heavy in omega 6 fats, the fats from those animals are
in turn deficient in omega 3 fatty acids and heavy in omega 6 fatty acids.
Thus, factory farmed dairy, beef, and their derivatives, as well as vegetable
oils made from cheaply grown grains, are overloading our diet with omega 6 fatty
acids, and we are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids. These factory farmed meats
and dairy are considered inflammatory in part because omega 6 fatty acid is
used to make inflammation molecules. For example, the prostaglandins that are
produced by the body after insulin spikes are made out of omega 6 fatty acid.

So a diet high in high glycemic index refined
starch like butter, cheese, bacon, fatty meats, vegetable-oil based mayonnaise,
is basically inflammation-on-a-plate. Each junk food/comfort food meal that is
heavy in refined or dense starches, that are flavored with fats as Americans do
when they cook, is an ideal way to feed inflammation as it contains both the
insulin triggers for inflammation and the omega 6 fatty acids to make the
prostaglandins with.

A natural healer or nutritional healer would
simply say that to avoid inflammation, one way is to stop eating so much of the
omega 6 fatty acid containing foods (i.e. cut out the factory farmed meats and
dairy and vegetable oils), switch to healthy oils in a moderate-fat or low-fat
diet, and switch to anti-inflammatory fruits, vegetables and spices to flavor
your meals with instead of fats.

By moving away from the starches-fat-sugar-salt
paradigm underlying bland, heavy comfort food cooking and learning to eat more
fruits and vegetables, and learning to flavor your foods with herbs, spices,
fresh fruits and veggies instead of fats, you can reduce the toll of chronic
inflammation in your life.” – www.heidilore.wordpress.com

One way to find relief from eczema or psoriasis is
by adding chamomile herbs or flowers to a warm bath to soothe itching and
inflammation. Some have found relief by
stopping the use of regular soap and using a pure glycerin soap, one that is
unscented and rich in natural moisturizers, like a mild honey and oatmeal soap
or one that contains coconut oil. Also, avoid hot showers and baths. Warm water will make your skin much happier.
Contrary to what may seem logical, a pediatrician recommended a long 20 minute
soak in warm water with no soap until your skin is wrinkled, then slather your
skin in safflower oil (not sunflower), or coconut oil. This has provided tremendous relief for
some.

Taking a soothing semi-warm oatmeal bath can help
as well. Oatmeal contains avenanthramides and phenols which have
anti-inflammatory properties. It's easy to prepare at home and pre-packaged,
expensive oatmeal bath powder isn't necessary. In 4 cups of water, cook 1/2 cup
of non-instant, regular oatmeal for the normal amount of cooking time. Pour the water and cooked oatmeal into a
strainer that is sitting on top of a big bowl to save the liquid.

Take an old tube sock (one with loose elastic is
easier) and scoop the strained oatmeal into the sock. I found it a bit less
messy to fold down the top of the sock leg about an inch or two before
starting. Then, if the scooper touches
the side of the sock, any oatmeal that stuck would be inside of the sock when
it is folded back up. The less oatmeal in
your bathtub, the better. Fold the
top of the sock back up and tie a knot. Pour the reserved liquid into your bath
water and put the sock in as well. You can skip doing the sock and just use the
liquid if it's too much trouble. This
also works great for poison ivy and chigger bites.

Squeeze the water-logged sock right over trouble
spots and let the goo ooze over the irritated skin. After the bath or a shower
apply an eczema herbal salve or safflower oil.

Some triggers for eczema are "extreme
heat and cold, vegetable juices (onions and potatoes are the worst so
when
cutting use gloves, but don’t allow the hands to sweat), harsh soaps,
detergents
with enzymes (use a baby free and clear detergent with no enzymes, dyes
or
perfumes), anything extremely drying like folding dry clothes or doing a
lot of
paperwork, anything topical with perfumes, even if it claims to be
hypoallergenic. Perfumes use alcohol as a fixative, and alcohol is
drying." -
http://eczemaremedyblog.com/eczema-remedies/eczema-herbal-remedy

Other triggers are sunburn, menstruation, hot
foods and beverages, spicy foods, and caffeine. Though it’s hard to believe, applied
topically aloe vera can sometimes irritate people with eczema, though some find
relief using it. Drinking aloe vera
juice is very soothing to the gut though.
Vegetable juices might be
irritating, but eating vegetables is very important!!

Wear loose fitting cotton clothes next to the skin
rather than irritating fabrics such as wool or artificial materials like
polyester. Eczema is often triggered by
what makes contact with your skin - and if you’re wearing something with rough
fibers, it will irritate. By opting for loose, light-weight clothes, you are
giving your skin a chance to breathe.

Rinse clothes well after washing them with
detergent. Reduce the number of dust mites in your homes by regularly cleaning
and vacuuming with particular attention to bedrooms, mattress, and bedclothes.

Mother Earth news recommends “dry brushing the
skin with a natural-bristle brush to exfoliate the build-up of dead skin cells.
(This may be painful for some psoriasis sufferers; don’t use this treatment if
it hurts.) Begin at your feet and work
your way up over your legs, torso and arms using smooth, upward strokes,” she
says. “Then hop in the shower to wash all of the dead skin away.”

For
an even more effective treatment, follow your dry brushing with a bath
containing Dead Sea salts. High in magnesium, potassium, calcium and iodine, a
double-blind controlled study of 23 patients by Israeli researchers found that
Dead Sea salts significantly reduced psoriasis symptoms.”

Future batches of our herbal “Problem skin salve” will
include wild carrot seed, ironweed and rosemary oil which will be ready over
the next few months. All future batches
will also be infused in safflower oil only instead of olive oil so that it can
be used on the face by those who are prone to break outs. Future batches will no longer include extracts
unless requested. So if this batch doesn’t help
your specific skin problem, our future batches might.

·
May use with Fumitory strongly brewed
as tea and applying it to the affected area with a cotton ball three times
daily.

·
Can also drink a regularly brewed Fumitory
tea. “For internal use, the leafy alteratives are often considered the closest
we have to specifics for this often intransigent condition. These are also
often diuretics and lymphatic remedies. Herbs that would be included in this
group include: Fumaria officinalis (fumitory)” – David L. Hoffmann BSc (Hons), MNIMH

·
Try drinking red clover and
marshmallow tea during the day and chamomile tea at night.

·
Some suggest red clover 5 ml (1 tsp) of
extract three times a day.

We have dried fumitory, red clover, marshmallow
and chamomile tea available while supplies last. Otherwise, have a local health food store
order in bulk for a discounted price. If you are a Lebanon or Competition, MO local, I
would also be willing to order in bulk for you and sell you a smaller amount to
try. For health food stores I use when
ordering in bulk, see our website under Health & Garden/ Natural Ozark
Businesses.

If you have any observational information you would
like to add to this flier, please email me.
If you have comments about our Problem Skin salve, we’d love to hear
from you.

Sidebar

I am an organic gardener using permaculture practices and living off-grid in the Missouri Ozarks. I built a small earth sheltered home without a mortgage. My goal, like many “homesteaders” is being as self sufficient as possible. I am an amateur, leaving my profession as a software tester so am learning as I go. Besides green building, my interests are in health, herbalism, food forests and learning how to live the way people were meant to live.

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Promoting the use of local, abundant plants for food, health and beauty.

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